Walk Summary
A walk up and around the edge of the stunning Gwaun Cerrig Llwydion plateau. Summit Fan-y-Big and Cribyn with classic valley views. Easy return along the Tor Glas valley.
Date: 20/01/2022
Length: 10.97 miles
Height Gain: 582 m
Terrain: Steep paths, boggy paths, grass path, forestry track, stony track, lightly used roads.
Navagation: Reasonable. A lot of the route is along edges which provide good handrails.
Start: Neuadd Car Park
Route: Neuadd Car Park, Taf Fechan Forest, Gwaun Cerrig Llwydion, Craig Cwareli, Fan-y-Big, Cribyn, Tor Glas
Map: OL12 Brecon Beacons
Weather: Sun and cold
Walkers: Nun
Gallery
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Plateau View
Captain's Log
Hasty Start
I was in such a rush to get started on the walk that I nearly forgot my standard issue, two peanut bars. A near disaster averted. The reason for my haste was the prospect of good weather. The moon was about to set, and the sun to rise. The sky was already blue.
I was back at the Taf Fechan forestry car park with the prospect of ascending Fan-y-Big and Cribyn. I'd bypassed these peaks two days ago when only their feet showed below the clouds. I'd decided to return to do them on a better day and this was that day.
I took the bridleway through the forest and it eventually ended up on a road near the terminus of the Torpantau Station (narrow guage). I then started climbing up to Craig-y-Fan-Ddu. The sun had risen now, and with the effort of the climb, I was soon rather warm. I could see another walker about 400 metres ahead of me. Once I'd reached the top I followed the eastern edge of the plateau.There appeared to be a huge path renovation project underway with huge black bags of rubble placed near the pathway every few metres. The path followed the very rim of the plateau with a big drop down into the valley.
Path Renovation On Plateau
Plateau Digger
I eventually caught up with the walker in front of me. He was an elderly man. I tried to strike up a conversation but we both had hats over our ears and the wind was so strong, we had trouble hearing each other.
On this skyline I could see what appeared to be an excavator. As I got closer I could see that it was moving. Somebody on a quad bike was ahead of it showing the driver the route he should take. At a height of 750 metres, I was surprised to see it. Presumably it was being used for the path renovation. The driver gave me the thumbs up as I took a photo of it.
Plateau Digger
Fan-y-Big Diving Board
Fan-y-Big
The path led me to a col where a view across three valleys opened up. At the head of each valley ridge line I could see Fan-y-Big, Cribyn and Pen-y-Fan. An impressive threesome. I followed the rim of the plateau around the first valley. At the head of the valley, I could see seven people walking towards me across the plateau. They were all wearing the same coats and so I assumed it was some sort of outdoor course. I continued around the rim to Fan-y-Big. I always think its name should be accompanied by a Sid James smutty laugh when I read it.
As I'm taking photos from the rocks at the summit, a couple approached. I was quite close to the edge in order to get a good photo. The woman pointed to the overhanging rock I was close to and told me it was known as the Diving Board. 'Do they use it for base jumping?', I joked. It was only when I'd walked down to the col between Fan-y-Big and Cribyn, and looked back up at the Diving Board, that I realised that it was a massive vertical drop. If I'd known, I wouldn't have stood so close to it.
Tor Glas Valley
Cribyn
It was a steep path down from Fan-y-Big, but the path up to Cribyn seemed even steeper. A cold wind battered the top. Two blokes arrived at the summit at the same time as me. One of them took a photo, and then said, 'Bloody hell, it's not a place to hang about, let's get down'. They both departed. I started to descend to the col with Pen-y-Fan and within a minute of leaving the summit the wind dropped to nothing. I decided it would be a good place for lunch and so sat down and got my sarnies out.
There was a good view of the east face of Pen-y-Fan. I could see people going up and down the summit path. One of the guys that I talked to on yesterday's walk told me that this was known as Jacob's Ladder. I think it was named well. The top was mostly in mist but occasionally it would clear and I see tiny figures on the top next to the summit cairn.
'He won't hurt you!'. A young spaniel was heading towards me like a cruise missile. He was coming at such a pace that I stood up in order to jump out of the way. I shouldn't have worried, he was more interested in some cheese that had dropped out of my sarnie, than any interest in me. The owner's were shouting him back, but clearly had no control over him. The women came over in the end to usher him away. I told her that he'd been after the crumbs from my sarnie and she told me that he'd go after anything. Yeah, I'd noticed that.
Cribyn Summit
Pen-y-Fan
Familiar Return
Throughout the day I'd heard booming and banging. I presume this was from some MoD training somewhere in the area. I was quite surprised at the volume and how long it persisted. It sounded like a war front.
I started returning back down the valley to the car park. This was the same path I took a couple of day's ago. It was great to see the tops of the mountains this time, rather than them being covered in mist.
I followed a couple into the car park. The man looked up skywards and said, 'I'm soaking up the sun'.
'Make the most of it. It's not been bad today', I replied.
'That's an understatement', he said.
He was right, it was an understatement. It had been perfect weather wise, and the forecasters had, for once, got it right. My decision, a couple of days ago, to delay my ascent of Cribyn and Fan-y-Big until a better day, had turned out to be a good one. It had been a superb walk with high level plateau-rim walking with magnificent views into the valleys.